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Correct an image file is not a script/htmk/etc and it can't receive variables. Which is the entire reason it's a perfectly acceptable and valid thing to do to add on to the URL so that the browser does not pull a copy of the image from browser cache.

There is absolutely no reason to need php to do this. While it can be done, it's not required.

Not only can it be done there is a link to a live demo showing it working as it:

The above works perfectly. Refreshing the image every 5 seconds and if there was an error retrying to get the image every 5 seconds as well. Which both values can be changed and are independent of each other.

So. Not sure why you thought/think this could not work, when it clearly does.